Events and Resources

Maturity Assessment Reproductive Variability and Life Strategies (MARVLS)

Mission: To advance scientific knowledge and communicate the importance of reproductive biology in the management of marine fish and invertebrates.

MARVLS aspires to integrate reproductive biology into marine resource stock assessment and management by bringing together biologists and stock assessment scientists, to collaboratively advance the knowledge of reproductive information used for setting stock assessment reference points, and to increase understanding of variability in reproductive success due to environmental, biological, and anthropogenic factors.

MARVLS aims to:

  • Hold meetings and workshops
  • standardize methodology
  • share accomplishments and challenges
  • provide mentorship
  • increase collaboration amongst scientists

Add MARVLS Calendar


Upcoming MARVLS Events

  • MARVLS 2024 Workshop in conjunction with AFS Annual Meeting in Haonolulu

The NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is hosting the 5th biennial meeting for the Maturity Assessment Reproductive Variability and Life Strategies (MARVLS) working group in conjunction with the National Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Honolulu in September 2024. Our mission is to advance scientific knowledge and communicate the importance of reproductive biology in the management of marine fish and invertebrates. MARVLS aspires to integrate reproductive biology into marine resource stock assessment and management by bringing together biologists and stock assessment scientists, to collaboratively advance the knowledge of reproductive information used for setting stock assessment reference points, and to increase understanding of variability in reproductive success due to environmental, biological, and anthropogenic factors. Our agenda will be in conjunction with the AFS meeting with site visits and workshop activities prior and post the AFS conference (September 15- 19, 2024). MARVLS also has a continuing education workshop in association with AFS on September 15 and a symposium at AFS titled “Lessons in Fish Reproduction for Sustainable Fisheries: Learning from Multiple Knowledge Sources.” There will also be a visit to the Honolulu Fish Market to better understand Pacific longline and bottomfish fisheries.

The detailed agenda is as follows:

Saturday September 14 8:00am-12:00pm: Cultural site visit to Hawaiian Fish Pond - Paepae O He’eia

Sunday September 15: MARVLS histology workshop and AFS Continuing education course “Interpreting Reproductive Histology: Female Maturity and Reproductive Phases” led by Nancy Brown-Peterson and Hayden Menendez from 1-5pm at the Honolulu Convention Center. Workshop Overview and Slide Submission Folders and more details are available here.

Since this workshop is part of the AFS program, there is a workshop registration fee of $90 for regular AFS members ($150 for non AFS members), $65 for AFS student members ($75 for non-members) and $75 for early career AFS members. Some of this registration fee will be returned to the newly formed AFS Pacific Islands AFS chapter (co-host of the national AFS meeting this year) to help support their regional meetings and local fisheries. We hope that this registration fee will not discourage MARVLS folks from attending the workshop. Participants are encouraged to submit summary Google slides (using the MARVLS template, see below for more information) following a standardized format that includes relevant information on species, gonadal stage, and structures of interest. The slides will be organized by the activity facilitators into two groups: 1. “Maturity” or 2. “Other Slides”. The collection of Google slides will be shared with all participants and made available prior to the meeting.

Slides uploaded to the “Maturity” folder will be used in the first part of the Workshop to illustrate how to differentiate between immature and regenerating individuals for a variety of species. Slides should be uploaded no later than 15 August 2024 to be included in the Maturity portion of the workshop.

Photographs of “Other Slides” should be uploaded to the “Other Slides” folder. Researchers are welcome to contribute slides to this folder on which they have questions on structures present or on how to interpret the slide, slides that highlight particular stages or structures (e.g. atresia, POFs) and slides that show unusual or atypical structures or phenomena (e.g. fixation/processing artifacts, mass atresia, parasitism). These photographs should be uploaded no later than 7 September. We will attempt to show all of these slides during the second half of the workshop, although extended discussions may result in some slides not being shown.

Monday September 16 8:00am-5:30pm: AFS MARVLS symposium “Lessons in fish reproduction for sustainable fisheries: learning from multiple knowledge sources.” Link to AFS agenda.

Tuesday September 17- Thursday 19: AFS conference at the Honolulu Convention Center. The Honolulu Fish Market Tour will also occur on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, with the selected day scheduled depending on the level of fishing activity. It is an early morning activity and will start between 5:00 am and 6:00 am depending on the number of fishing boats coming in and last until 8:30 am.

Friday September 20 9:00am-4:30pm: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center visit and joint workshop with MARVLS and stock assessment scientists.

For questions or to sign up for activities email eva.schemmel@noaa.gov.



Events and Resources

Maturity Assessment Reproductive Variability and Life Strategies (MARVLS)

Mission: To advance scientific knowledge and communicate the importance of reproductive biology in the management of marine fish and invertebrates.

MARVLS aspires to integrate reproductive biology into marine resource stock assessment and management by bringing together biologists and stock assessment scientists, to collaboratively advance the knowledge of reproductive information used for setting stock assessment reference points, and to increase understanding of variability in reproductive success due to environmental, biological, and anthropogenic factors.

MARVLS aims to:

  • Hold meetings and workshops
  • standardize methodology
  • share accomplishments and challenges
  • provide mentorship
  • increase collaboration amongst scientists


Upcoming MARVLS Events

  • MARVLS 2024 Workshop in conjunction with AFS Annual Meeting in Haonolulu

The NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is hosting the 5th biennial meeting for the Maturity Assessment Reproductive Variability and Life Strategies (MARVLS) working group in conjunction with the National Meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Honolulu in September 2024. Our mission is to advance scientific knowledge and communicate the importance of reproductive biology in the management of marine fish and invertebrates. MARVLS aspires to integrate reproductive biology into marine resource stock assessment and management by bringing together biologists and stock assessment scientists, to collaboratively advance the knowledge of reproductive information used for setting stock assessment reference points, and to increase understanding of variability in reproductive success due to environmental, biological, and anthropogenic factors. Our agenda will be in conjunction with the AFS meeting with site visits and workshop activities prior and post the AFS conference (September 15- 19, 2024). MARVLS also has a continuing education workshop in association with AFS on September 15 and a symposium at AFS titled “Lessons in Fish Reproduction for Sustainable Fisheries: Learning from Multiple Knowledge Sources.” There will also be a visit to the Honolulu Fish Market to better understand Pacific longline and bottomfish fisheries.

The detailed agenda is as follows:

Saturday September 14 8:00am-12:00pm: Cultural site visit to Hawaiian Fish Pond - Paepae O He’eia

Sunday September 15: MARVLS histology workshop and AFS Continuing education course “Interpreting Reproductive Histology: Female Maturity and Reproductive Phases” led by Nancy Brown-Peterson and Hayden Menendez from 1-5pm at the Honolulu Convention Center. Workshop Overview and Slide Submission Folders and more details are available here.

Since this workshop is part of the AFS program, there is a workshop registration fee of $90 for regular AFS members ($150 for non AFS members), $65 for AFS student members ($75 for non-members) and $75 for early career AFS members. Some of this registration fee will be returned to the newly formed AFS Pacific Islands AFS chapter (co-host of the national AFS meeting this year) to help support their regional meetings and local fisheries. We hope that this registration fee will not discourage MARVLS folks from attending the workshop. Participants are encouraged to submit summary Google slides (using the MARVLS template, see below for more information) following a standardized format that includes relevant information on species, gonadal stage, and structures of interest. The slides will be organized by the activity facilitators into two groups: 1. “Maturity” or 2. “Other Slides”. The collection of Google slides will be shared with all participants and made available prior to the meeting.

Slides uploaded to the “Maturity” folder will be used in the first part of the Workshop to illustrate how to differentiate between immature and regenerating individuals for a variety of species. Slides should be uploaded no later than 15 August 2024 to be included in the Maturity portion of the workshop.

Photographs of “Other Slides” should be uploaded to the “Other Slides” folder. Researchers are welcome to contribute slides to this folder on which they have questions on structures present or on how to interpret the slide, slides that highlight particular stages or structures (e.g. atresia, POFs) and slides that show unusual or atypical structures or phenomena (e.g. fixation/processing artifacts, mass atresia, parasitism). These photographs should be uploaded no later than 7 September. We will attempt to show all of these slides during the second half of the workshop, although extended discussions may result in some slides not being shown.

Monday September 16 8:00am-5:30pm: AFS MARVLS symposium “Lessons in fish reproduction for sustainable fisheries: learning from multiple knowledge sources.” Link to AFS agenda.

Tuesday September 17- Thursday 19: AFS conference at the Honolulu Convention Center. The Honolulu Fish Market Tour will also occur on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, with the selected day scheduled depending on the level of fishing activity. It is an early morning activity and will start between 5:00 am and 6:00 am depending on the number of fishing boats coming in and last until 8:30 am.

Friday September 20 9:00am-4:30pm: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center visit and joint workshop with MARVLS and stock assessment scientists.

For questions or to sign up for activities email eva.schemmel@noaa.gov.



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